Following 10 years of gradual progress on political and economic liberalization—and a landslide victory for the National League for Democracy in the 2020 election—the Burmese army took power in a coup on February 1, 2021. The army quickly reversed hard-won progress toward democracy and human rights in Burma. In response, millions of people from all walks of life joined a civil disobedience movement and mass public protests across the country to prevent the military from consolidating power—as well as demands to reinstate the elected government and enact constitutional reform to constrain the military. The army, in turn, used violent force to crack down on the movement, killing scores of protesters and creating an environment of chaos and terror.
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